2014 Varsity Match: Oxford University Thrash Cambridge 43-6 at Twickenham

The Varsity Rugby Match between the universities of Oxford and Cambridge has been a stage for many greats of the sport. But since the dawn of professionalism in 1995, fewer have gone on to represent their countries. Even so, the list of past players and coaches in this fixture is remarkable (see table below). It even features the first man to lift the William Webb Ellis Cup, New Zealander David Kirk, the 1987 World Cup-winning captain.

Today, Oxford, the Dark Blues, made it five wins out of the last five with a comprehensive 43-6 victory over Light Blues Cambridge. It was the heaviest defeat ever sustained by Cambridge in the Varsity Match.

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This is a fixture that really benefits from crisp, dry conditions, and Oxford made the most of them in the first half. Cambridge did start brightly, however; notably via fly-half Donald Stevens’ dummy-kick and break. But on 12 minutes, Oxford scrum-half Sam Egerton spotted a gap around the fringes of a ruck on halfway and dummied past Sam Allen and George Smith to score a memorable try. George Cullen converted to give Oxford a 7-0 lead.

Oxford withstood heavy Cambridge pressure, as outside-centre Toby May in particular threatened the Dark Blue defence. Cullen kicked a penalty and opposite number Stevens slotted two, but Oxford made it an eleven-point game with a patient try at the very end of the half.

For phase after phase they attacked, before centre Alexander Macdonald drove over from five metres. Cullen’s conversion gave Oxford a commanding 17-6 lead at the interval.

Featured Player	University	Country
Gerald Davies	Cambridge	Wales
Stuart Barnes	Oxford	England
Rob Andrew	Cambridge	England
Nick Mallett	Oxford	South Africa
David Kirk	Oxford	New Zealand
Brian Smith	Oxford	Australia/Ireland
David Humphreys	Oxford	Ireland
Joe Roff	Oxford	Australia
Anton Oliver	Oxford	New Zealand
Dan Vickerman	Cambridge	Australia

Within two minutes of the restart, fly-half Stevens, one of Cambridge’s most influential players, was carried off on a stretcher with suspected knee ligament damage. It has a sad end to the game for the South African, who also came off injured last year.

Oxford sensed the chance to turn the screw.

On 55 minutes, they turned down a kickable penalty and were soon rewarded, as second-row Tom Reeson-Price scored in the corner. Cullen missed the kick from the touchline and dragged a drop goal wide two minutes later.

But Oxford were beginning to cut loose, and prop Ian Williams powered over from a couple of metres to give the Dark Blues a 27-6 lead. That became 29-6 with Cullen’s conversion, but Cambridge suffered a further blow as George Smith was also carried off on a stretcher with concussion.

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A break from the imposing Matt Janney, boyfriend of film star Emma Watson, should have resulted in another try, but his pass out wide was wild.

Cambridge gained 80 metres from two penalties as a result of rolling mauls, but when the ball went wide, centre May was floored by Oxford substitute Henry Hughes. Instead, a break from Man of the Match Egerton led to a try for fellow half-back Cullen, who brushed aside a couple of defenders to score.

Oxford added another through highly rated flanker Gus Jones, but Macdonald deserves huge credit for keeping the move alive with an outrageous back of the hand offload a few phases earlier.

It finished 43-6 to Oxford, and prop Lewis Anderson achieved a notable milestone by becoming the first player in the history of the fixture to win five Varsity Matches.

After the match, speaking to Bleacher Report, Oxford captain Jacob Taylor put the win down to “the courage to play positive rugby.”

For Man of the Match Egerton, it was a chance to atone for last year, when he became the first player sent-off in a Varsity Match: “I wanted to come back and redeem myself. Today was beyond everyone’s expectations.”

Cambridge still lead the overall standings, having managed 61 wins to Oxford’s 58, with 14 draws.